The authors of both The Tin Flute and The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz present two very different stories with two very similar characters. Duddy Kravitz and Jean Lévesque are extremely hard working, driven characters. As a result of Duddy's grandfather's advice, "a man without land is nobody- , he has entirely devoted his life to the ultimate goal of acquiring land. Jean's childhood memories as an orphan and being engulfed by the state of poverty, consequently, instigated Jean to become a successful and wealthy man. These two young men share many qualities but try to achieve their goals in highly dissimilar manners. To purchase the land that Duddy has in mind, money is essential. Duddy uses people to his advantage consistently throughout the novel, regardless of the person in question. He is dependent on other people as well and has little difficulty asking people for financial aid. Kravitz's desperate attitude and insane working hours ultimately lead to his mental breakdown. However, Jean devoted himself solely to his work and school and did not permit himself to become distracted. Contrary to Duddy, Jean is very independent and needs little help from others along the way. Even though Duddy and Jean went about conquering their situations in different ways, they both eventually attained their goals. .
Duddy's relationships with people, with the exception of his family, were artificial and usually maintained only to further himself in obtaining his land. When conversing with his father in reference to Yvette, Duddy would casually say, "Yvette is my Girl Friday."" This greatly diminishes her importance and the role that she plays in Duddy's personal life but simultaneously demonstrates that he makes sure to remain close to her because she is the legal owner of his land. From the moment Duddy discovered the land; all his hard work was dedicated to acquiring that piece of territory.